


Take My Jacket, Take My Hand

by redgoth



Series: 100 Ways To Say "I love you" [8]
Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Confessions, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, School Dances, technically, vaguely
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-12
Updated: 2016-02-12
Packaged: 2018-05-19 20:00:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5979367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/redgoth/pseuds/redgoth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This wasn't how Matthews planned to do on the night of the school dance, but it's definitely better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Take My Jacket, Take My Hand

**Author's Note:**

> 8\. "Here, take my jacket." + "Can I have this dance?"
> 
> alright first of all i didn't proof read this so y'all should. message me. if i fucked anything up. Yeah.  
> this couldve been better but i've been working on if for so long i just want to be done with it.  
> Technically this is from another au i've talked about at 6969ville.tumblr.com/tagged/blood+gulch+high

So, prom wasn’t going exactly how Matthews had imagined it would. His date had stood him up, someone had bumped into him and spilled the crappy punch onto his shirt, and honestly, most of the people he hung out with had already managed to slither off and form their own party, leaving him alone.

So… that’s how he got to here. Sitting on a swing at the park near the school. He didn’t feel like going home just yet, maybe just let the loneliness sink in a little bit.

It’s not like he had originally wanted to go with her in the first place. But, hell, she had asked him, turning her down just seemed rude!

But, then again, she had been the one who ditched him…

Matthews kicked his feet against the rubber chips, pushing himself in the swing. A wave of weariness swept over him, and he pressed the palms of his hand to his eyes. His phone beeped in his dress pants pocket.

Bitters name flashed on the screen.

_From: bitters !!_

> _hows the dance going?_

 

Matthews paused for a few seconds, chewing on his lip.

 

_To: bitters !!_

> _Not great…_
> 
> _I left early_

 

There was a hesitation, so Matthews locked his phone and pushed himself slowly in the swing. In less than a minute, his phone chimed.

 

_From: bitters !!_

> _what?_
> 
> _why ??_

 

He kicked his feet against the rubber pellets.

 

 _To: bitters !!_  

> _there’s too much to explain, lol..._
> 
>  

The reply was almost immediate.

 

 _From: bitters !!_  

> _okay…_
> 
> _where are you now???_
> 
>  

Matthews felt himself flush a bit, his cheeks warm against the cool air.

 

 _To: bitters !!_  

> _the park nearby, why?_

 

After three minutes of no reply, Matthews pushed himself up from the swing, walking over to the large playset. He scuffed his shoes through the chips before stepping up onto the stairs up to the top of the platform. From the top, he could watch the trees shutter in the wind. His shaggy hair whipped around his face.

When Bitters’ beat-up truck rounded the corner and stopped shortly after, Matthews could feel his throat get tight. He jumped out and all but slammed the door, (as it turns out, that's really the only way it’ll close) and began making his way across the field to the playground. He was wearing his pajama bottoms.

When Bitters was most of the way there, Matthews decided to meet him halfway. He stepped down the short stairs and jumped across the rubber mulch, before taking off running to meet his friend. With each step he felt his chest ache. As the two got closer, Matthews started slowing down until he was more or less skidding to a stop. Bitters watched him, almost cautiously, as they approached each other.

“Hey,” he hummed, his hands stuffed into his coat pockets. Matthews smiled brightly despite the darkness around them.

“Hi.” He practically sighed before taking a deep breath.

“So,” Bitters didn’t stop walking, merely removed one of his hands from his pockets and linked his arm with Matthews, dragging them both back towards the playground. “Why are you here, and not, I don’t know, with that one girl who literally asked you out?”

There was a pause now from Matthews’ part, and he almost slowed his pace. Bitters noticed immediately. “She didn’t show up…”

It fell quiet between them for a moment, it felt heavy and Matthews looked at the grass beneath his feet.

“That’s… pretty fucked up.” Bitters growled. Matthews heart hammered in his chest.

“I guess…”

They stepped over the cement curb and into the rubber mulch, and Bitters led them up the steps on the playground up to the first little platform. He stopped, turning towards Matthews and grabbing his hands now.

“Alright, well,” he started, “fuck her. That was dumb.”

“I don’t know, maybe it was an emergency or something-”

“Well, she should’ve given you a warning or something before just ditching you and leaving you alone.” He was glaring now. Matthews pulled on of his hands away to brush at the hair falling in his face. “Actually, I don’t get why you’re here.” Bitters kept one hand connected to Matthews. “Weren’t your friends going too? I swear your group of loser friends kept talking about that even months before it was actually planned out.”

Another hesitation. “They all kinda… left…” Matthews looked anywhere besides Bitters. He felt childish.

“What the _fuck_. Did they ditch you too?”

Matthews only gave a little nod. His throat felt too tight for words.

“Wasn’t Jen- er, wasn’t Katie there? She and Palomo were going, I think, why didn’t you just hang out with them?”

Oh. “Actually, they left pretty early on.” Matthews mumbled. Bitters thought process seemed to halt for a moment.

“They left?” He repeated, looking confused. Matthews nodded.

“They left about thirty minutes after it started.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Palomo said they were going to go back to his house to play video games, or something.”

Bitters blanked. Then, after a short moment, he shook his head. “Whatever, okay.” He pushed a hand through his hair. It was flatter than normal, lacking the normal absurd amounts of hair product. Matthews liked it like that. “So, let me just… get this straight,” Bitters started, “the girl who asked you out didn’t show.”

Matthews nodded.

“My friends left you alone,” another nod, “and your own friends ditched you too?” His brows were furrowed, and his look only got more annoyed when Matthews nodded sheepishly. “Motherfuckers.”

Matthews ran his free hand over his arm, a small smile gracing his face. Bitters paused for a moment, before releasing his hands and shoving them into his pockets.

“Wanna come back to my place? Ma was already planning on ordering pizza, so…” He tapered off, shrugging his shoulders. “Or do you wanna stay here?”

Matthews paused, brushing his hands through his thin hair. “I think I’d like to stay here, for a little while at least…”

Bitters nodded, leaning against the railing of the platform. A cool breeze blew between them, causing Matthews to shiver and Bitters to shift around. Pajama pants did jack shit against cold wind.

“Hey,” Bitters cleared his throat and started to shrug off his jacket, “here, it's fuckin’ cold, take my jacket.”

Underneath his orange and grey coat, he was wearing a black tuxedo shirt, probably about one size too big. Matthews let out a little laugh as he accepted the jacket, pulling it over his own. It was warm. “Won't you be cold now?” He asked.

“I don't _get_ cold, Matthews.” He huffed in a ‘how dare you accuse me of such a thing’ tone and grabbed his phone from his back pocket. Matthews could only smile. A simple silence settled between, and they both leaned back against railing. Matthews watched the trees and Bitters face illuminated by his phone, as Bitters stared intently at the object. In less than a minute, music filled the air and Matthews turned to Bitters with a confused look. Bitters turned the volume up and slipped his phone back into his back pocket, grinning at the other now.

“Since you didn't get to before…” He held a hand out, tilting his head a bit. “Can I have this dance?”

Matthews hesitated, eyeing the other cautiously for a brief moment before allowing a smile to overthrow his features. He took Bitters hand in his own and let his other rest on his shoulder, while Bitters’ settled on his hip.

Neither of them really knew how to do this kind of dance. So, they settled for the awkward swaying that seemed to be the majority at high school dances. They stepped on each other's feet, although neither minded too much, little giggles erupted from them as they shuffled around the small space.

“Y’know, I was planning on asking you before she did.” Bitters mumbled after the end of the third song. “Like, at least a week before she did. I had it _planned_.”

A small laugh bubbled up from Matthews, and he shook his head, pulling himself closer to the shorter boy. “I was gunna ask you, too.” He hummed. “When she asked I decided not to… since she asked, and I guess I didn’t think you’d be the type to go to school dances.”

“I’m not.” Bitters snickered. “But you are, so…” His grip tightened on Matthews’ hand a bit, looking uncharacteristically nervous.

Matthews smiled at him brightly, then closed his eyes. “Thank you, Antoine…”


End file.
